Fatal pedestrian accidents represent approximately 30% of the entire fatal traffic accidents in Japan. Particularly in Tokyo, it is said that the proportion of the fatal pedestrian accidents reaches to approximately 40%. In order to reduce such fatal pedestrian accidents, a safe driving support system utilizing an environment recognition sensor, such as a radar and a camera is effective. JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-114831A (2007) proposes a system that detects an object, such as a pedestrian, using a radar and a camera. This method enables the attribute of an object to be determined according to a distance and a reflection intensity of the object detected by the radar, and allows individual identification using an image data taken by the camera according to the attribute.
JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-025458A (2005) describes a system that causes a camera to redundantly capture an object detected by a distance measuring sensor, such as a radar. First, this system predicts a course of a host vehicle as a turning radius using a vehicle velocity, a steering angle and a yaw rate, and determines a collision possibility of the host vehicle according to the predicted course and a relative position of the object detected by the radar. Further, this system calculates a relative velocity vector from an amount of change of the relative position of the object detected by the radar, and determines the collision possibility of the host vehicle according to the relative velocity vector.
This system then selects a target of image processing from the object detected by the radar, while emphasizing a result of a collision determination according to the predicted course for an object with a small longitudinal relative velocity and emphasizing a result of a collision determination according to the relative velocity vector for an object with a large longitudinal relative velocity. This invention enables the collision possibility to be appropriately determined in a scene where approaching a low-velocity vehicle traveling in front after steering and avoiding a stopped vehicle in front of the host vehicle, and allows an image processing load to be reduced.
[Patent Document 1]
JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-114831A (2007)
[Patent Document 2]
JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-025458A (2005)